


you know i love you, right?

by beaniebbz



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Crying Killua Zoldyck, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Gift Giving, Idiots in Love, Killua Zoldyck swears a lot, Love Confessions, Love Languages, M/M, i just want killugon to be happy, mito and leorio are barely mentioned, togashi please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaniebbz/pseuds/beaniebbz
Summary: Killua just kicks his legs and giggles in response, eyes glued to the screen. Although Gon is a bit concerned over his friend’s mental health, a smile was good, right? He vaguely remembers Leorio saying "happy wife, happy life!" once, and even though the situation wasn’t exactly the same, Gon still thinks the sentiment applies.or: Gon Freecs on the five love languages and Killua Zoldyck.
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 37
Kudos: 281





	you know i love you, right?

**Author's Note:**

> alghrgalnkvbhlkeriuznahruthrkjancsnbuiuavpnjxngahroi
> 
> song i played on repeat while writing this: https://youtu.be/P8a4iiOnzsc  
> isn't that song just so killugon ugh I cry everytime

Gon thinks he heard Aunt Mito talking about it once, maybe. His memories sometimes get a little fuzzy when it comes to stuff that he didn’t really have an interest in. 

( _“Aunt Mito,” Gon begins, young and curious. “Sometimes the kids on the ships don’t like it when I touch them. Why?”_

_On the rare occasion where a child comes to Whale Island for several unknown reasons, Gon always tried to become friends with them. Unfortunately, most kids don't voyage to Whale Island to visit; there simply aren't enough people to come back for here. Instead, they were abandoned youth, taken to pirating the seas with adults that could give two-shits about them. Living off of scraps and stealing what they could, a touch more likely meant hurt than comfort. Mito couldn't say all of that to her son, though._

_“Our love language is touch, Gon,” She carefully reminds. “Some people have other ways to express their affection.” She finishes folding the towel she was holding and sets it in a pile. “You can’t go around hugging everyone and expect them to hug you back, sweetheart.”_

_Gon frowns as he watches her. “I don’t get it. I like hugs and touches.”_

_Silence. “I suppose you wouldn’t,” Mito says at last. “Not everyone is nice, Gon. Some people don’t know what it’s like to be held softly.” She fixed him with a look. “You can’t force affection onto people, especially if they are uncomfortable with that kind of love.”_

_“There are other kinds?”_

_Mito can’t help but smile. This was her baby, all right. “Loads. How about I tell you another time? I need to start on dinner.”_

_The boy bounces around and brightens, tense questioning alleviated. “Are we having fish?”)_

Gon doesn’t think she ever really told him another time. Although to be fair, he never took the time to look them up himself either. It’s just his luck that such information would be relevant years later. 

_Our love language is touch, Gon._

Gon wonders what kind of love language is Killua’s. Certainly not touch; at least, not on the surface. Thinking back to the Zoldyck mansion years ago, Gon can still practically _feel_ every ridge of frayed skin on Killua’s back after rescuing him. That twelve-year-old boy had never been touched gently in his life, he knows. Looking back on it, Gon can see the similarities between his friend and all of the pirate children back on Whale Island’s waters; another thing that Aunt Mito avoided talking about. Gon has felt the way Killua stiffens under a clapped shoulder, or tenses at an unexpected high five. 

Gon has also seen the way Killua lets his sister hang all over him, though. Noticed all the times when the younger boy curled into himself while sleeping as if he wished there was someone to hold him. Observed the glances filled with a mix of confusion and longing towards couples holding hands, or best friends hugging for no reason other than to show affection. 

And Gon wants to. Really, _really_ wants to be able to smother Killua with physical affection, but he just can’t. Not when Killua had made it clear that he didn’t reciprocate the eagerness. There were no words necessary; Gon finally took the hint months after meeting his best friend and watching every instance of tender contact be shied away from. Gon has struggled for years on how to show Killua that he valued him, but expressing it verbally just wasn’t enough. _Still_ isn’t enough.

Killua deserves the world. He deserves every star in the sky, every galaxy in the universe, and every act of pure love that Gon can give.

Gon reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. He types _love languages_ into the search bar and presses enter. 

  
  
  


1\. Acts of Service

  
  
  


As many things are when it comes to Killua, trying to simply _love_ him was becoming increasingly difficult. 

Killua, Gon notices, prefers to do things himself. He is sure there has to be some psychological explanation as to why his friend more or less outright _rejects_ any form of help, but he can’t really find it in himself to be angry at the Zoldyck’s abusive consequences right now. 

It is not that Killua _doesn’t_ need help with certain things. But on the rare occasion where he does (the assassin protege was naturally good at almost everything), he never acknowledges that fact. These things were usually big, though. For example, Gon had to wrap Killua’s bandages quite a few times after the dodgeball game on Greed Island. Killua huffed and complained the entire time, insisting that even something so necessary was pointless.

Even so, _this_ was different; this being Gon purposefully trying to do something for Killua just to _do_ it. After some brief research on the first of five love languages, Gon deemed acts of service to be the easiest and therefore set to test it first; save the worst for last, right? 

How moronic of him to think so. 

“Want me to pour your cereal?” Gon asks a very groggy Killua in a chipper voice. This would be straightforward enough. The white-haired teen usually woke up so late that he and Gon never ate breakfast together; this was a simple way to deliberately show that Gon is going out of his way to do something nice.

“No,” Killua quickly shuts him down. “I can do it myself.” And with that, he sleepily shuffles over to the hotel’s kitchen and assembles his cocoa puffs by himself. 

What the hell?

All Gon can do is blink at the retreating boy in disbelief. He kind of feels like an idiot.

Just like that, attempt number one was already a fail. Actually, can that even be considered an attempt? Killua didn’t even give him the chance to get up off the ratty couch. Gon purses his lips. This may be a _bit_ harder than he thought. Just that opportunity took him thirty minutes to plan last night. 

It's then that Gon comes to the obvious conclusion that he will not be able to ask for Killua's permission before doing something for him. Evidently, his friend will undoubtedly say no, most likely without even considering the proposition. The brunette kind of wants to smack himself for not realizing that much way sooner. Besides, if he keeps on insisting on his friend's approval before doing something, Killua will sniff him out. He would probably start an argument with Gon, demanding to know why Gon thinks he is too weak to do something as simple as pour cereal. 

Gon almost groans out loud at the thought. That would be so _Killua_. 

Shaking off the threatening thought of his friend’s wrath, Gon impassively watches as Killua brings a spoonful of chocolate cereal to his mouth and takes a bite. The brunette can almost feel his teeth and gums ache in response to the amount of sugar in that shit. He turns his head to look away, suddenly feeling a little glum, and tries to think of a new way to go about this problem. 

  
  


&&&

“What are you doing?” A voice behind him asks. Gon continues to fold the sleeves of the shirt he’s holding, unbothered. He hears Killua walk further into the hotel bedroom until he finally reaches Gon’s sight. As he picks up another shirt, a turtleneck sweater this time, his friend sits on the uncomfortable bed and stares at him. 

“Folding,” Gon simply answers. 

Gon can see the other teen’s glare narrow out of the corner of his eye. “I leave to go candy shopping and suddenly you think you can just touch all my stuff?” 

The brunette finally looks up. He frowns. “But they needed to be folded.” It wasn’t a question.

"No, they did not," Killua says, offended. Gon rolls his eyes in what he hopes is a discreet manner as he grabs a pair of shorts. He had just got back from the laundry mat and already completed folding his clothes; it doesn't take too much time, considering he only really travels with three outfits now. Killua, on the other hand… his friend will consistently deny the need to fold his clothes, yet always complains when all of them are wrinkly days later. Gon doesn't understand the sentiment. 

Instead of explaining himself further, he just gives a noncommittal hum and sets the last folded pair of pants back down into the laundry bin. The sheer amount of clothes just folded was ridiculous, Gon thinks, but he resists sharing that. 

Gon didn't plan on getting caught, as Killua usually takes _years_ in the candy store, but it worked in his favor anyway. When his friend suggested leaving, Gon practically jumped at the chance to redo this whole _act of service_ shit. He couldn’t believe he had another opportunity so soon after flunking the first one, and there was hardly any thought involved. Win-win.

Thankfully, Killua doesn't seem all that weirded out. He was probably used to Gon doing dumb things all the time, and is like, desensitized or something. 

“Want to go grab dinner?” Gon asks, changing the subject. Although Killua didn’t _seem_ like he was suspicious, there would have been more questioning if Gon didn’t divert his attention elsewhere. It was better safe than sorry. 

Killua never does thank him, but after dinner Gon notices his friend staring at the folded clothes in the basket for a second with a distant look in his eyes before crawling into bed. 

  
  
  


2\. Receiving Gifts

A couple of days after folding Killua’s clothes, Gon has already gotten the necessary items to complete the next test. Picking out what to give Killua was effortless; earlier, Gon had made a quick trip to a town over and bought some chocorobots. He _was_ going to just go shopping in the city that he and Killua were currently staying in, but the candy fanatic had already sold out every store of chocorobots within a ten-mile radius. Gon’s pretty sure his friend has already eaten all of them, too, which works to Gon’s favor but also kind of disgusts him. 

Here comes the trickier part, though: actually _giving_ the gift to Killua. The other teen didn’t exactly accept presents unless it was a special occasion, but even then it’s hit or miss. A part of Gon surmises that it’s because his friend doesn’t feel worthy enough of little surprises like that, which makes him want to prove even more that Killua _is_ deserving of love. 

Gon has prepared a whopping thirty boxes of chocorobots to present to Killua, and though it isn’t even close to the surplus that the blonde usually buys, it was all the store he went to had in stock. He figured this amount would be the equivalent of giving a _normal_ person three. 

The excuse Gon used for going to the city over and _not_ bringing his travel-partner did work, thankfully. He simply told Killua that he was going shopping for a new pair of crocs. Killua had retched and Gon swore he heard something along the lines of _surely life cannot be this cruel_ muttered under his friend's breath before Gon was waved off with a flick of a defeated wrist. Gon didn't need any more shoes, though; the two pairs he carries around with him do just fine. 

Currently, Gon was slightly struggling to carry _eight_ bags through the threshold of the hotel door. He eventually gave up trying to swipe the key and instead just settled for kicking at the door until Killua got up to let him in. The brunette considered dramatically yelling too but was too wary of any noise complaints from an unfortunate neighbor. 

Gon hears a loud groan come from the other side of the door before it finally swings open, revealing his best friend wearing a flat expression. His jaw quickly drops, however, upon seeing the amount of plastic bags in Gon’s arms. Gon nudges him aside as gently as he can before walking in and setting down the goods on the table. 

When Gon turns around to face Killua again, his nose scrunches in distaste. “Are you still in your pajamas?”

“If those,” Killua starts, ignoring the question and instead raising a shaky finger to point at the bags. He stops, seemingly choked up, before repeating. “If those bags are all full of crocs, I’ll fucking kill myself.” 

The intensity of his voice was a bit worrisome, but Gon ignores it. “Nope!” He replies, suddenly cheerful. “This stuff is for you!” He frames the bags with jazz hands. 

At this, Killua looks horrified. “You got me… crocs?” He whispers, sounding downright agonized. If he wasn’t leaning on the counter, Gon thinks he would have stumbled. For once, Gon honestly can’t tell if the blonde is being dramatic or if he was truly _that_ scandalized at the mere suggestion.

“No, Killua,” He sighs. “I just said they aren’t crocs. Just open the damn bags.” 

The blonde visibly relaxes at the confirmation. He moves over to the bags and with some fearful anticipation, finally peeks inside one. 

Gon kind of wishes he would have started filming. Killua’s whole face brightens into one of his really rare ecstatic smiles, and he already starts to move to see the contents of the others were the same. After verifying that indeed, every single bag was full of chocorobot boxes, he turned to Gon, still grinning. Gon can’t help but mirror the expression.

“These are all for me?” Killua asks, thrilled. His eyes were wide and incredulous, but _shining_ . Gon nods and his friend laughs in delight before snatching a box and already tearing into it. The scene felt strangely intimate for some reason (maybe because of the bedroom eyes Killua was giving _chocolate_ ), so Gon walked over to the living area to watch some television while his friend got himself settled. 

Killua didn't immediately ask Gon _why_ he bought thirty boxes of chocorobots and no crocs, but it’s obvious that his friend was simply too happy to question anything at the moment. It’s a good sign, Gon thinks. Killua didn’t launch an impromptu interrogation and instead accepted the gift with overly-excited open arms. The brunette relaxes further into the couch, enjoying this calm before the storm. 

Around fifteen minutes later, the younger teen makes his way over to the couch, one hand cradling his stomach. Gon didn't want to know how much chocolate was in there right now. If he had to guess, Gon would say at least six boxes are already gone from Killua's new collection. 

“That was good shit,” Killua says as he sits down. Gon could smell the chocolate on his breath when Killua yawned. 

Gon gives a little hum. “I’m glad.” 

When a tentative hand touches his shoulder, Gon nearly jumps. He glances over to see Killua _not_ looking suspicious (thankfully) but looking… confused. Sated and drowsy, but confused. 

Killua removes his hand once he has his friend's attention. “What happened to your shoes?” 

“They only had lime green,” Gon lies easily.

“So?” The blonde frowns. “When has a different shade of green stopped you before? You usually look like a colorblind clown anyway.”

Ouch. “That is uncalled for,” Gon says, slightly miffed. “I know how to match things, jerk.” 

Killua just laughs at the offended expression on Gon’s face. He still just sounds so _happy_ that Gon can feel his lips curl up in response, despite knowing why Killua was giggling. 

“Okay, okay,” The younger finally sobers. He scrunches his eyebrows a little bit. “And what about the chocorobots? You suddenly decide to have a teensy bit of fashion sense so instead you leave the store with an entire stock of chocolate?” Killua narrows his eyes in accusation. “I would love to know what the thought process was in that hard head of yours.”

“Asshole,” Gon says with no real bite, shrugging. “I just got reminded of you when I passed ‘em. Thought you would like it.” It wasn’t the _truth,_ but it wasn’t a complete lie either. 

At this statement, Killua’s demeanor shifts. He looks slightly more serious but also baffled. It’s like he can’t fathom the idea of someone just… wanting to make him _happy._ The notion sends a little prick into Gon’s heart. 

For a second Killua looks like he might ask another question, but ultimately decides against it when he faces the television instead. It was one of the nicer ways the blonde lets people know that their conversation is over. Gon temporarily thinks he fucked things up and ruined his friends' entire mood, but after a couple of minutes of watching whatever was on the screen, Gon sees a little smile creep its way back onto Killua’s face out of the corner of his eye. 

  
  
  


3\. Physical Touch

  
  
  


_This,_ Gon grimly thinks to himself, _could quite possibly be hell._

You would think that after the last test ran so smoothly, Gon would have a bit of renewed confidence. The success rate so far has been very high; _suspiciously_ high, if Gon was any less of an optimist. Gon was many things, however, and thankfully an oblivious idiot was one of them. 

The first noticeable opportunity came when Gon spied Killua brutally smashing buttons on his Nintendo Switch while sitting on the couch. He casually walks over and sits next to the blonde, sneaking a glance at whatever poor in-game character Killua was violently attacking. Gon blinks in disbelief when he realizes the victim was an extremely cute goat from Animal Crossing. He watches as Killua repeatedly hits the animal with a net, cringing.

Deciding that he should stop the situation before it escalates even further, Gon picks up the remote for the television. “Want to watch a movie or something?” 

The manic grin that was stretched on his friend’s face abruptly turns into a frown. “No.” 

“Killua.”

The blonde finally looks up and groans. “Okay, fine!” He begrudgingly saves the game and sets it down on the coffee table with more force than necessary. Gon can’t help but sweat a little. _Maybe it isn’t the best idea to try and touch him when he’s annoyed,_ the older teen thinks meekly.

After a moment, Gon mentally shakes his head. _Nuh-uh,_ he tries to steel himself, _loving your best friend is more important than your safety, Gon._

He waves the remote in Killua’s direction. “Here,” Gon offers. “You choose.”

Killua snatches the piece of plastic out of his hand and begins flipping through some channels. Gon watches as his friend critically eyes some of the shows on, before sniffing in distaste and switching pages. The process repeats several times until a movie that Gon has never heard of finally catches the other’s attention. 

The brunette winces when he realizes the chosen film is an extremely gory horror movie. Typical. Killua loves to watch bloody scenes while laughing like some kind of damn psychopath, always going on about how fake it looks as he gasps for breath. 

Gon sneaks another peek over and is relieved to find the sneer on Killua’s face has melted into a small smile. His eyes have warmed, no longer filled with a goat-character induced revulsion, and instead were looking softly towards a man getting dismembered on the screen. It was kind of cute, but in a slightly deranged way. 

_Wait, what?_

Gon is shocked out of his daze when Killua suddenly snorts rather unattractively. “That is so unrealistic!” He guffaws, pointing a finger at the screen. “There would be so much more blood than _that!_ ” 

Following the finger, Gon is slightly nauseated by seeing the dismembered man now getting beheaded. There seems to be plenty of blood, in his humble opinion. They obviously missed the first half of the movie, because _holy shit_ , that would be very graphic for an exposition. Is something this explicit even allowed to be aired? 

Instead of voicing any of that inner monologue, however, Gon simply nods and starts to laugh, albeit a little nervously. “Yeah,” He says, forcing a smile. “Your right.” 

Killua just kicks his legs and giggles in response, eyes glued to the screen. Although Gon is a bit concerned over his friend’s mental health, a smile was good, right? He thinks he remembers Leorio saying _happy wife, happy life!_ once, and even though the situation wasn’t exactly the same, Gon still thinks the sentiment applies. 

Now that they are getting settled in, Killua’s loud cackles now reduce to quiet and sporadic snickers as he gets absorbed into the movie, Gon thinks it’s finally time to make the move. 

He slowly slides over the length of the couch with bated breath, not moving that far considering the size of the motel seats. The blonde doesn't even send a glance his way, but Gon knows that Killua took notice. He would have made a pretty shitty assassin if he didn't observe his surroundings. 

Once there were hardly a couple of inches separating the two teens, Gon gingerly brings up his arm to rest on the back of the couch behind Killua’s head. He lets his wrist hangover, palm now laying on the other boy’s shoulder. The muscles under his fingertips stiffen instantly. 

Killua slowly turns his head to look at Gon’s face. “What are you doing?” He asks in a flat voice, a stark difference from his tone just minutes ago. 

Gon blinks, trying to look guilt-free. “Nothing,” He says with false innocence. 

The blonde tries to shrug Gon’s hand off but it stubbornly stays, and Gon watches as Killua realizes he can’t exactly move away from the offending body part either. Killua narrows his eyes. “Let go,” He huffs. 

“Why?” Gon whines, stretching the word out. “Am I not allowed to touch my best friend?” It was a low blow, he knows, to deliberately call Killua his best friend during a time like this. The phrase never fails to simultaneously embarrass and please the other to no end. 

As expected, Gon sees a slight flush form on Killua’s cheeks at the words. He looks flustered, like he wants to argue but can’t come up with a valid enough reason. “We aren’t cuddling,” He finally says, persistent. 

“Who said anything about cuddling?” Gon asks. He smiles, suddenly feeling a little devious. “Unless you _want_ to?” At Killua’s scandalized expression, his grin grows even wider. “Don’t look at me like that. _You_ brought it up.”

“Stop being fucking weird,” His friend hisses, face burning. “Don’t twist my words around, asshole.” 

Gon tsks. “There is nothing weird about snuggling your friends, Killua,” He tries to not sound like a condescending parent. An idea pops into his head. “Just watch.”

His hand changes from its relaxed resting position on Killua’s shoulder to instead gently grip it, and then gives his friend a little shove so that Killua ungracefully half-falls against Gon’s side. His arm protested at the uncomfortable position, so Gon made the dangerous decision to wrap the limb around Killua’s waist instead. 

For half a second, Gon thought he might die. He briefly recalls a time when a stranger tried to hit on Killua while out exploring the city. They had casually snuck an arm to loop around Killua's hips, and before Gon could even blink, the guy was on the ground twitching uncontrollably as visible electricity raced through him. Killua had been in a shitty mood for the rest of the day. 

Thankfully, Gon does not get shocked by an electric current. He looks down a couple of inches to where Killua is pressed flush against his side to find the other boy already staring at him. Killua’s eyes are wide and disbelieving.

“Hey,” The older teen says to break the silence. Well, the silence between the two of them; Gon can hear a chainsaw and a woman screaming coming from the television. He tries not to flinch at the wet splattering sound that follows. 

“What. The. Fuck.” 

Gon squirms a little. “My bad. I could have executed that better.”

Killua lets out a dry chuckle. “You think?” He mocks sarcastically. Much to Gon’s surprise, however, his friend doesn’t immediately pull away. He just kind of sits there for a couple of moments, now facing the tv again, before ever-so-slowly relaxing into Gon’s hold.

At the feeling of Killua steadily growing limp against his side, Gon beams. He instinctively begins to move the hand on Killua’s side up and down, hoping the rubs will relax him further. The younger teen tenses up again and Gon instantly stops. 

“Sorry,” He mutters, feeling guilty. His luck was already being pushed, damnit, and Killua was being uncharacteristically docile with him today. Gon really can’t afford to fuck this up. 

“It’s okay,” Killua says in a small voice, refusing to look his way. “You- I mean, I don’t mind,” His voice catches. “You can keep going.”

Gon can the tips of Killua’s ear turn bright red through his wispy hair. Gon hums noncommittally, choosing to not embarrass his friend further by saying something, before resuming his ministrations. The blond once again eases into his embrace. Gon can’t help the goofy smile that creeps along his face; he knows that Killua is letting himself indulge. Not that this caress _should_ be considered an indulgence, but Gon can’t help but feel satisfied anyway. 

  
  
  


4 / 5. Quality Time / Words of Affirmation

  
  
  


“Ready, Killua?” Gon asks, practically bursting with excitement. This was going to be his favorite test by _far_. After looking up the fourth love language, quality time, he was already sure of what he wanted to do. 

“Shut up!” Killua bites from behind a closed door, exasperated. “I don’t know how to dress because you won’t tell me where we’re going!” 

Gon rolls his eyes even though he knows his friend can’t see. “Stop overthinking!” He reprimands. “Just dress casually. I already have everything packed, so hurry up.”

The door swings open to reveal a very annoyed looking Killua. He swapped his favorite blue undershirt and white v-cut for a large black sweater that Gon has never seen before and paired it with a pair of blue jeans that he has been recently obsessed with. 

Gon looks him up and down. “You look good,” He compliments, eyeing the sweater. “Is that new or something?” 

“Um,” Killua says. “Yeah.” He shifts awkwardly and Gon notices that his face is kind of pink. 

“Nice. I like it. Now let’s _finally_ get going.” 

The blonde curls his lip at the accusatory tone. “Fuck off,” He snarls, pointing a finger right at Gon’s forehead. “Some people actually take the time to put together an outfit.” He stalks past Gon.

Gon watches him walk by. “What the hell?” He questions, offended. “I wore something different today!” That was true. He ditched his precious green jacket and a white tank top, instead wearing a tight dark green tee. It looked pretty decent if you asked him. The green shorts were abandoned months ago; right now he is wearing black cargo pants with plenty of pockets. Sometimes he tries jeans, too.

He starts after Killua, who stopped after realizing he didn’t exactly know where to go. Gon shoves a basket into Killua’s hands. “Hold this.” He grabs the designated blanket off the coffee table and then ushers his friend out the door. 

Once they set off walking, Killua looks at Gon. “Why couldn’t you just say we were going on a picnic when you asked yesterday?” 

Gon’s smile drops. “How’d you figure it out?” He asks, voice sullen and whiny. It was going to make a perfect surprise.

Killua snorts. “You are carrying a blanket.” He points out. Gon glares at the offending object in his arms. “Also,” Killua continues, smug. “I looked in the basket.”

The brunette gasps. “Asshole!” Gon says, affronted. He should have expected as much.

The rest of their short journey is filled with silence as Killua tries to stop himself from laughing at Gon’s sulky pout. His expression brightens, however, when they finally enter the boundaries of the nearest park. Gon immediately sets off, weaving his way through the trees and occasionally looking back to make sure his friend was keeping up. 

He finally stops at a large clearing that has a tiny pond. It was clearly manmade, but Gon thought it was pretty regardless; he found this spot while exploring the other morning when Killua was still asleep. It seems to be a popular area, and he is thankful that there wasn’t already someone else here. 

“Whaddya think?” Gon poses while rolling out the large blanket. He smoothes out the corners as Killua looks around. 

Killua shrugs. “It’s alright.”

The older teen plops down on the blanket. “Just alright, huh?” Gon says, patting the spot next to him. Killua obliges, sitting down and opening the basket. 

“Did you make all this?” He asks, ignoring Gon’s question. Killua’s eyes widened when seeing the sheer amount of food that was packed; salads, pasta, chips, and sandwiches.

Gon reaches for a chip bag, shaking his head. “Nah, not _all_ of it.” His voice has a knowing and sly ring to it. Killua narrows his eyes but chooses to take a bite of a sandwich instead of answering. 

Once he has chewed and swallowed, he glances at the food appraisingly. “That was pretty good.” Gon hums thanks with his mouth full. He watches as Killua notices an unopened container in their picnic basket but slaps at the curious hands when he reaches for it. 

“That’s for later,” The brunette says in response to Killua’s betrayed face, voice muffled by potato chips. 

Killua rubs at his hand, looking disgruntled. “Is this really all we came out here to do?” He pauses. “I mean, not that this isn’t nice, but you made it seem like a big deal or something.”

“Did I?” Gon mutters, mostly to himself. Damn. “I just wanted it to be special, I guess. Also, we are going to watch the stars.” 

The blonde blinks. “Watch the stars,” Killua repeats. “Hm. Like on Whale Island, huh?” 

Gon grins guiltily. _Busted._ He just grunts evasively; contrary to what a lot of people may think, Killua was just as sentimental as Gon, if not more. That was a good day, though it feels like eons ago. It hits him with a wave of nostalgia, and he thinks Killua is feeling the same way by the wistful look in his eyes. 

The rest of the evening passes in a blur of laughter and smiles. That’s one of the things he loves most about Killua; no matter what they talk about, it’s never boring. Their silences are never awkward either, and instead were filled with tranquility and peace that Gon doesn’t think he has ever felt with anyone else. 

When it was finally dark enough to see the stars, Gon found himself sitting side by side with Killua. “Look,” He points at the sky. “Because we are so far north right now, Polaris is so bright!” 

His friend follows the finger and grins when he sees it. Gon mirrors the expression subconsciously. He searches the sky, looking for anything else he recognizes, and gasps when he spots a constellation he used to see all the time on Whale Island. 

Gon nudges Killua with a gentle elbow. “There’s Libra,” He points in a new direction. 

The other teen stares at it analytically. “It kinda looks like a chocorobot.”

The brunette frowns and glances at the constellation again. Libra did not, in fact, look like a chocorobot. “You are delusional,” Gon sighs, before perking up. “Wait, that reminds me!”

Gon reaches over to the neglected container in the picnic basket and opens it. Inside were six juicy chocolate covered strawberries. “I totally forgot. That’s funny that you reminded me in the dumbest way possible.” 

Killua doesn’t seem irritated at the insult, instead looking at the fruit with delight. Gon can almost see hearts in his eyes. His friend starts to reach for one before stopping, appearing thoughtful. “Wait,” Killua says, sounding suspicious. “You didn’t make these.” 

Obviously. If Gon would have made anything chocolatey around Killua it would surely have been stolen and eaten before making it here. He nods his head in confirmation. 

Killua furrows his eyebrows, musing. He suddenly groans. "You saw me staring at them when we passed that confectionary the other day, didn't you!" Killua accuses. 

Gon can’t help but giggle. Killua had practically drooled on the window while passing through town, but they were on a schedule and couldn’t afford to stop. This morning Gon stopped by to grab the delicious fruit, knowing that the other teen would love the surprise.

“Yup,” He confirms, still laughing. Gon watches as Killua snatches one of the strawberries out of the box, muttering to himself. It was dark, but he swears Killua has a small flush on his face. 

Killua takes his time eating the strawberry, but he didn’t look like he was intentionally savoring it. His friend was deeply lost in thought, only snapping out of his daze when he reached the green stem. Killua tosses it to the side before turning his body to face Gon fully. 

This is astonishing; Gon was expecting the box to be at least half empty by now. “Was it not good?” 

The blonde waves his hand as if swatting away the very notion. “Nah,” Killua offhandedly says, now staring at a piece of grass. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Gon blinks in surprise but nods. Killua’s lips tighten a bit before his mouth opens again. “Why… why have you been doing all sorts of different stuff for me lately?” 

Gon freezes. “Um,” He starts. “What do you mean?” 

“Don’t act innocent,” Killua huffs, miffed. “You've been _doing_ things! Like, the other day on the couch! Or, or the chocorobots! I don’t _get_ it!” 

“So,” Gon cautiously begins. “Do you not like it?” 

If looks could kill, Gon would currently be six feet under. “I never said that!” The younger snaps. “Don’t put words in my mouth! I just want to know _why_.”

At first, Gon almost accepts that he will have to come clean. He lost, the universe won, and now Killua was going to blow up on him once he learned the truth. 

Just as he opened his mouth to try and hastily explain himself, Gon suddenly remembers the last love language he studied. _Words of Affirmation._ Something about reaffirming that you care deeply about someone, just to remind them. 

_I mean, what is there to lose?_ Gon thinks. 

He turns to mirror Killua, maneuvering his body in front of the other teen. Gon looks Killua in the eyes and smiles. “It’s ‘cause I love you.” He says cheerfully. 

Killua’s jaw drops. “You- what?” 

“I love you,” Gon declares again. “Obviously.” He tacks on. 

The blonde blinks once. Twice. The starlight highlights the red creeping along his nose and cheeks. "You. Love me?" Killua repeats brokenly. He sounds incredulous as if the very idea was inconceivable. 

Gon reaches out to grab one of Killua’s hands. He notices it trembling. “Of course!” He loops their fingers together and grins when his friend doesn’t pull his arm back, eyes crinkling. 

He looks up to Killua’s face again and is shocked to see tears in the other’s eyes. “Whoa, whoa!” Gon says, quickly trying to backtrack. “I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong? Are you-”

His frantic and dismayed babbling is cut off when a pair of lips press themselves against his. Killua pushes insistently when Gon doesn’t move, and he slowly melts into the kiss. 

Gon pulls back a bit to open his eyes and look at the boy in front of him. _When did he close them?_ Killua’s face was tear-streaked, eyelashes clumping together, but he was positively _glowing_. His smile was so big that Gon is sure it hurt his cheeks. 

It’s instinctual, really. The only possible reaction to seeing such a joyous look on his friend's face was to bring his free hand up to cup Killua’s hot cheek and kiss him again, this time even softer than the last. 

_Huh,_ Gon can’t help but think. _How long have I wanted to do that without even realizing it?_

This time it’s Killua who separates from him. He leans back and squeezes the hand still entwined with Gon’s, and Gon returns the gesture. The hold turns borderline painful, however, when Killua suddenly glares at Gon. 

“You fucking sly _asshole!_ ” He accuses, still grinning. “I hate you. I mean, the stuff you were doing was so, like, couple-y, but I brushed it off ‘cause I thought there was no way, you know? And then suddenly you ask me to come out here, and I freaked the fuck out because it sounded _so_ much like you were asking me out on a date.” 

Killua takes a deep breath and continues. “And then I got so nervous, but I realized there was probably nothing to get nervous over because there was no way you liked me _back_ . And then suddenly you are professing your love to me? Under the stars? That is so _cheesy!_ ”

Once Killua finishes, he starts laughing. He laughs until he lets out a snort, and then Gon starts giggling too. 

Gon pointedly does not mention that he was convinced he thought of Killua in a purely platonic way until just minutes ago. Some things are better left unsaid. He kind of wants to smack some sense into himself; now that he really thinks about it, it was so _obvious_. 

Loving Killua and being _in_ love with Killua has been the same thing. Always. 

Gon brings up their joined hands to kiss one of Killua’s fingers. He’s allowed to do stuff like that now, right? He lets out another giggle at the thought. 

“You like cheesy,” Gon points out. “Despite saying otherwise.” 

Killua purses his lips before breaking out into an even brighter smile, if possible. He tries to shrug casually. “Yeah, maybe.” 

With one last peck on Killua’s cheek, Gon reaches next to him for the box of strawberries and offers them. The blonde accepts the fruit gratefully. Before he bites down, however, he hesitates. 

“I love you too,” Killua finally admits. “Thank you. For, um, everything.” He adds in a small voice. 

Gon just gently smiles before moving so that they were sitting flush side-by-side. The teens look back up towards the sky. 

“Oh!” Killua suddenly says, excited and breathless. “A shooting star.” Gon is barely able to catch a glimpse of it.

Funnily enough, he can’t think of anything else to wish for. 

  
  
  


&&&

  
  
  


After years of knowing Killua Zoldyck, Gon can now confirm that his boyfriend doesn’t have a specified love language. 

In fact, Killua had expressed how much he hated the very idea. _What’s the point of confining yourself to just one way of loving? That sounds so fucking stupid._

Although the statement could have been worded more courteously, Gon can't help but find himself agreeing. 

**Author's Note:**

> im super proud of this concept but horrified at its execution. such is life 
> 
> thank you to my beta and best friend for catching some of my mistakes! if you notice any spelling errors etc though please let me know :) 
> 
> i am not satisfied with the bg of this fic at all. it feels pretty rushed to me but like.... i will not attempt to fix it LOL i do really like the ending though !!! 
> 
> so only after writing about half of this my beta told me that this was her first time hearing about the five love languages and i was like ????? fuck bc i thought it was kinda common knowledge for some reason? but if you didn't know then i deeply apologize for writing this fic assuming everyone did haha. it's not a particularly interesting concept anyway
> 
> these boys are my babies i just want them to be happy SO bad omg give killua the love he deserves please
> 
> thank u for reading, i appreciate all the kudos and comments on my other fics!! you guys are so sweet I'm sending a million virtual hugs and kisses 
> 
> any advice, critiques etc is welcome!!! i am kind of a dumbass so if i can improve my writing in any way i would be glad to hear it <3 see u next time ! :)
> 
> you can find me on twt @ beaniebbz


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